Effective Workflow Management

Every day, a lot of us sort through a tonne of new information. You undoubtedly get dozens of emails, phone calls, voicemails, requests for meetings, invoices, and other paperwork, for instance. 

You still have work to perform to accomplish your goals and objectives on top of this. How then can you efficiently handle this incoming information while continuing to be productive? 

You can accomplish this with the aid of Allen’s Input Processing Technique, which is a practical strategy. This article examines this tool and shows you how to manage incoming information with it. 

What the Tool Is 

The Input Processing Technique was created by productivity expert David Allen and published in his well-known 2003 book, “Getting Things Done.” 

Figure 1’s tool is a straightforward procedure that enables you to manage your “inputs” and keep on top of all you need to do. 

Allen’s Input Processing Technique (Figure 1) 

An input is something that requires action on your part. “Anything you have allowed into your psychic or physical reality that doesn’t belong there, but for which you haven’t defined the intended consequence and next action step,” according to Allen, is what it is. 

These inputs can range from ideas you’ve had for a new project to emails and papers you’ve obtained to a bill you need to pay. 

The tool’s key advantage is that it enables you to act swiftly on all of the inputs that come your way. As a result, you won’t need to worry about missing something and can instead concentrate on your goals. 

The approach can be applied in three phases: 

1. Gathering. 

2. Processing. 

3. Examining (not shown on the diagram). 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these three phases and talk about how you may use this approach to organise your workflow. 

Using the Instrument 

Allen’s Input Processing Technique is actually relatively easy to use, despite its seeming complexity. 

Step 1: Gathering data 

Every day, you receive information in a variety of forms, including thoughts and ideas, emails, letters, messages, voicemail, and paper notes. 

The “collection” procedure entails gathering all of the many incoming information types that you must consider. It compiles everything you must act upon, and it specifies where and how you must keep information until you can process it. 

The key to gathering this incoming data is to ensure that you have a suitable location to store it; Allen refers to these locations as “buckets.” Your email inbox, the in-tray on your desk, your to-do list, the notebook where you scribble down new ideas and take meeting notes, and your voicemail are some excellent examples of buckets that you may already be using. 

Organize your workspace if you haven’t already done so and create a bucket for each sort of information you get “so that your buckets at home and at work are located in the proper locations. 

Your thoughts and ideas are a more abstract form of input, and they are prone to obscurity. Put them in the proper bucket after writing them down. Use an application like Evernote “or email suggestions to your inbox for this. Later steps will involve organising and sorting through these ideas. 

Aim towards having as few collection baskets as you can. Considering that email is probably going to be the bucket you use the most, be sure you understand how to manage email efficiently “. Check your email throughout the day at opportune intervals, and respond swiftly to requests that won’t take long (we cover this in more detail in Step 2.) 

Keep in mind that during this step, you don’t need to take any action on anything that isn’t urgent. This can occasionally require a lot of self-control “but it’s crucial to follow the process as you gather your feedback. 

Step 2: Processing 

You must treat the material after collecting it all in the proper collection containers. The main portion of figure 1 is the processing of your inputs. 

Schedule regular times to process your inputs rather than doing so immediately. This could be done every day at a specific time or at any free periods in your calendar, depending on how you like to work. 

Is This a Morning Task? in our post “demonstrates how to plan activities for the appropriate time of day. Use your best judgement and let people know how to reach you if they have an urgent request (in some roles, this method may not be suitable). 

You should identify each item as you process your inputs and decide what action is necessary for each one. To begin, you must decide if a given item is “actionable” or “non-actionable” in order to proceed. 

Inputs that you don’t need to do anything with are non-actionable things. If you don’t need to keep a record of them, either file them where they belong or delete them. 

Inputs that require action from you or another person are called actionable items. These could include emails requesting your attendance at a meeting or project ideas that you want to advance. 

It often makes sense to act immediately rather than plan anything for later if you need to take action on something that will only take a short while to finish (let’s say, less than two minutes). This is probably true for emails that require a quick response or for routine activities that you may delegate to other people. 

Actionable items that will take more than two minutes to complete should be deferred. If you need to finish anything by a certain date, schedule it “this properly (in your diary or calendar, for instance), and store it. Some tasks might have a deadline, and others might need to be dealt with at a specific time on a specific day. 

Your Action Program ” or To-Do List ” can contain actionable items that don’t have a set due date or duration. Prioritize “these items appropriately and assign jobs and projects to others as required. 

Step 3: Examining 

The first two processes make up the majority of this procedure, but it’s also crucial to examine the collected and handled inputs. Therefore, check over your lists and schedule each week to assess impending commitments, update your lists, and remind yourself of what you’ve accomplished. 

Examining your short- and long-term goals throughout this weekly assessment is also beneficial “and initiatives. You can schedule these goals’ related actions in your calendar together with other jobs and commitments. This is crucial because if you don’t turn these goals into doable actions (which is the main idea behind action planning), “), they can appear to be impossible to complete! 

Major Points 

The Input Processing Technique was created by famous productivity expert David Allen and published in his 2003 book “Getting Things Done.” The tool aids in organising incoming information so that you may effectively use it. 

In our adaptation of Allen’s tool, there are three essential steps: 

1. Gathering. 

2. Processing. 

3. Examining. 

The second stage of this tool, when you choose whether to act or not on your inputs, is the most crucial aspect. This part of the programme is useful since it makes sure you properly digest all of the information that comes in.

If you found this article insightful, you might also be interested in exploring these topics further. Here are five articles that could capture your attention:

1. Self-Coaching Strategies – Discover techniques to coach yourself towards personal and professional growth.
2. Team Management – Learn effective ways to lead and manage a team successfully.
3. Essential Competencies for Managing a Team – Understand the key skills and competencies required for effective team management.
4. Providing for Your People – Explore strategies to support and nurture your team members’ development.
5. Mentoring – Gain insights into the art of mentoring and how it can benefit both mentors and mentees.